n a letter sent to the leadership of House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over NASA, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden warned that envisioned funding levels for the Commercial Crew program with likely result in “further schedule slippage and increased cost.” Bolden’s letter is in response to decisions made by House and Senate appropriators to significantly reduce FY 2016 funding for the program below that requested by the Obama Administration.

On July 14, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) met to discuss three topics, among them an update from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its leading commercial space industry partners on the progress being made in new frontiers in human space exploration. Other topics on the meeting agenda included a review of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program and a discussion on technology and aging.

On July 10, the Space Subcommittee within the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing to examine the operational challenges currently bedeviling the International Space Station (ISS), including a number of recent and costly cargo launch failures and other technical failures. During the hearing, members of Congress from both parties and witnesses spoke highly of the unique research platform that the ISS provides to U.S.

Appropriators in the House and Senate have been working diligently on FY 2016 funding bills since President Obama sent his budget request to Congress in early February. House appropriators will likely complete their work by the middle of next month, and it is expected that their Senate counterparts will not be far behind.

This morning the full Senate Appropriations Committee met and approved by a vote of 27-3 their FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. The $51.1 billion bill provides funding for NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation. The House passed its version of this bill earlier this month.

“We have also prioritized the work the Department of Justice is doing in enforcing our laws. We have made sure that scientific research, space exploration are prioritized, and America will preserve its leadership in the world in space exploration. We have made sure that weather forecasting is funded and taken care of” said Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson (R-TX) when describing his FY 2016 funding bill on the House floor.

The House of Representatives has started its multi-day consideration of H.R. 2578, the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. Yesterday evening the White House issued a seven-page Statement of Administration Policy announcing its strong opposition to the bill, signaling the President’s intention to veto the legislation.

The full House Appropriations Committee met Wednesday and approved by voice vote the FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. Under this bill, NASA funding would increase $518.9 million or 2.9 percent in the new fiscal year.

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